Posts Tagged ‘Tampa Bay Rays’

By Eric Gilmore
For The Gazette

OAKLAND, Calif. – Center fielder Ryan Sweeney had to have a sense of deja vu May 20 when he made a spectacular, diving catch to seal the Oakland Athletics’ 7-6 victory against Tampa Bay.

After all, he’d made that catch as a kid in Cedar Rapids.

Oakland Athletics center fielder Ryan Sweeney reacts after making a catch on the wall to rob the Texas Rangers’ Ian Kinsler of a three-run homer April 30 in Arlington, Texas. (AP photo)

“When I was like 12 or 13 years old, we had a game somewhere, I don’t even remember,” Sweeney said last week before the Athletics played the Arizona Diamondbacks. “But I dove and made a catch exactly like that playing center field.

“Somebody hit it in the left-field gap, and it ended the game like that. The only reason I remember that was the grass was wet and I slid really far.”

Defense has always been a huge part of Sweeney’s game, first as a young boy, then as a star at Xavier High School and now as a starter in the major leagues. In the early part of the 2009 season, Sweeney has been putting on a Gold Glove-caliber show in center field.

Sweeney’s spectacular catches have been showing up on “Sportscenter’s” top 10 plays of the day as often as LeBron James’ dunks. It’s been another day, another web gem for this 24-year-old, one year removed from his rookie season.

“He’s pretty amazing out there,” A’s first baseman Jason Giambi said. “He’s as good as anybody I’ve seen play outfield defense in a long time.”

Sweeney has made only two errors in a major-league career that has spanned more than 220 games and more than 400 chances. Oakland Manager Bob Geren said what he values most about Sweeney’s defense is that he’s “fundamentally sound” and consistently makes the routine plays.

This year, though, Sweeney has added a series of jaw-dropping, you-cannot-be-serious catches to his repertoire of rock-solid defense.

His string of spectacular catches began April 30 at Arlington, Texas, with the A’s clinging to a 3-1 lead over the Rangers in the bottom of the eighth. With two runners on and two outs, Ian Kinsler sent a high, deep drive to center field off A’s reliever Russ Springer.

The 6-foot-4, 221-pound Sweeney made a leaping catch, grabbing the ball on the other side of the wall and bringing it back. The A’s won, 4-2.

“That one was more of a timing thing,” Sweeney said. “You’ve got to look at the ball and feel for the wall kind of at the same time. Just jumped up at the wall.”

Oakland Athletics center fielder and Cedar Rapids native Ryan Sweeney (left) and Matt Holliday react after Sweeney robbed Tampa Bay Rays’ B.J. Upton of an exta-base hit to end a game May 20 in St. Petersburg, Fla. (AP photo)

Athletics left fielder Matt Holliday has had a front-row seat of sorts for Sweeney’s highlight-reel show.

“It’s been impressive,” Holliday said. “He’s obviously saved us in two games, and he’s made tons of other good catches. He’s an excellent, excellent defensive player. He’s got a great arm. For a kid that’s as big as he is, he moves well. He covers a lot of ground.”

One night after robbing Kinsler of a home run, Sweeney stole an extra-base hit from Seattle’s Kenji Johjima. He went back-back-back in center field and made a sliding basket catch, a la Willie Mays in Seattle. Then the next night he raced in and made a diving catch in right field to rob Ken Griffey Jr. of a hit.

Sweeney’s defensive gems have helped him stay positive while he tries to get untracked at the plate. After hitting .286 last season, his batting average is hovering around .250 with two home runs, both long blasts to right.

“He’s got a lot of power,” Athletics right fielder Jack Cust said. “It’s learning how to use it in the game. That could come. At the least, he’s going to be a guy that hits for a high average and plays great defense and probably runs into 10 homes runs, maybe 15. I think he has the potential to hit 20. Maybe more.”

Sweeney said he sees himself “ultimately” hitting between .280 and .300 with 15 to 20 home runs and plenty of doubles.

“Hopefully, the home runs will come,” Sweeney said. “But it’s always been a thing for me that if I’m not going to hit a home run that game, if I can stop a run from scoring or throw somebody out or make a good catch, I think that’s just as important.”

By Jeff Johnson
The Gazette

CEDAR RAPIDS — All apologies to him for these references, but you know he’s heard stuff like this many, many times before.

Will Smith has gotten jiggy with the strike zone in his short professional baseball career. The guy is the Fresh Prince of control.

Will Smith, 2009 Cedar Rapids Kernels pitcher.

Yeah, that was pretty bad. But the point to the puns is the Cedar Rapids Kernels pitcher is beyond his 19 years in not walking guys.

Smith, who got no decision in his Kernels debut in April 2009 against the Beloit Snappers, has begun to make a name for himself in the Los Angeles Angels organization because he has made a habit of throwing strikes.

Smith walked just six batters in 73 innings last season for Rookie-level Orem. That helped him go 8-2 with a 3.08 earned run average. He struck out five and walked three in 5 1/3 innings last week.

Baseball America ranked him the third-best prospect in the Pioneer League.

“For the most part, yeah, I just don’t like walking people,” Smith said. “It hurts the team, it hurts everybody. If you can avoid walks at all costs, avoid them. I figure you’ve got four chances to walk them and three chances to get them out. So I like my chances of getting them out.”

Sounds like sound reasoning.

“He’s just a guy that’s very competitive. But off the field, he’s very loosey-goosey, a great teammate,” said Kernels pitching Coach Brandon Emanuel. “Once he steps on the diamond, it clicks into gear. He goes right at guys. He doesn’t shy away from them at any point, and that’s huge for a young kid, especially.

“We’ve dealt with some kids who have better arms and stuff like that, but they’re afraid to throw the ball over the plate. And this is one kid that doesn’t back down from anyone. He throws it over the plate and lets them put it into play.”

Smith was drafted two years ago by the Tampa Bay Rays out of high school in Newnan, Ga., but elected to attend Gulf Coast Community College in Florida instead.

It was a wise decision.

The 6-foot-6, 220-pound left-hander worked himself into better shape physically and got noticed by longtime Angels scout Tom Kotchman. Los Angeles selected him in the 13th round last year, Kotchman signed him, and the rest is strike-throwing history.

“I just worked my butt off pretty much,” said Smith, who said he lost approximately 15 pounds. “When I went to college, I was out of shape. The jokes got to me and stuff. I used that as motivation. I said, ‘I’ll prove you all wrong.’ I guess it got me here.”

Now he wants to get there, as in Los Angeles. Smith is pretty much a fastball/curveball pitcher at this point, according to Emanuel, whose heater tops out at 90 mph and sits around 86.

That’s not big-time velocity. But when you can throw strikes at any time with any pitch, that’s enough.

“It’s his ability to throw other pitches besides his fastball in the strike zone,” Emanuel said. “He still pitches with his fastball.

“And he’s left-handed, and that’s always a plus.”

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